


A Soldier's Work Is Never Done

by telperion_15



Category: Primeval
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-28
Updated: 2012-01-28
Packaged: 2017-10-30 06:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/328672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telperion_15/pseuds/telperion_15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan heard Lester before he saw him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Soldier's Work Is Never Done

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as a birthday fic for slashybits.
> 
> Minor spoilers for episode 1.01.

Ryan heard Lester before he saw him. Which was unusual, as Lester rarely ever raised his voice, preferring to make his point with his razor sharp sarcasm and a pointedly raised eyebrow.  
  
 _Cutter’s obviously really done it this time…_  
  
The shouting fell ominously silent before he reached the top of the ramp, and Ryan wondered if the two men had finally killed each other. It was simultaneously an amusing and distressing thought.  
  
Then, suddenly, Cutter burst out of Lester’s office, nearly bowling Ryan over as he blundered past, his face like thunder, and his footsteps loud and angry as he stomped away.  
  
But Ryan ignored the retreating academic in favour of proceeding into the office. Let Hart deal with the recalcitrant Scot – Ryan had more important things to worry about.  
  
He’d expected to see many things on Lester’s face. Anger, disdain, even indifference to Cutter’s latest tantrum. What he hadn’t anticipated was defeat. It was such an unfamiliar expression when matched with Lester’s features that for a moment Ryan didn’t recognise it. Then he noticed the accompanying slump of Lester’s shoulders, and the way his fingers were plucking abstractedly at a sheet of paper on his desk.  
  
 _I’m going to bloody kill Cutter…_  
  
Of course, as soon as Lester noticed Ryan’s presence, the cracks were instantly gone, papered over with that veneer of professionalism that the man wore like a shield, and which Ryan sometimes wondered if anyone else apart from him ever got to see behind.  
  
“Yes, Captain?”  
  
Ryan looked searchingly at the other man for a moment, letting him know that he wasn’t fooled in the slightest. Then he nodded slightly, acknowledging and playing along with the charade. For the moment.  
  
“Everything’s sorted out at our end. The anomaly’s closed. The, er…remains…have been dealt with, and Jenny’s busy weaving her PR magic as we speak.”  
  
“Good. That’s good. Thank you.”  
  
“Do you mind if I ask you what your…discussion…with Cutter was about?”  
  
For a second, Lester was going to say yes, he did mind. Ryan could see the words hovering on his tongue, and was already planning his next line of attack. Then…  
  
“The same old debate, I’m afraid,” Lester admitted. “Cutter wants to protect the animals, I want to protect the public.”  
  
Ryan scowled. “That man is a complete liability sometimes. One day it’s going to hit home to him just how it feels when one of his precious dinosaurs take a human life, and then he’ll realise why I and my men do what we do.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Why is he telling tales to you, anyway? If he’s got a problem with us shooting the creatures, he should be talking to me.”  
  
“He probably thinks he’ll be on the receiving end of another punch,” Lester said, the faintest of smiles playing around his lips.  
  
 _That’s better._  
  
“Well, it might knock some sense into him.”  
  
“Satisfying as it might be, I really can’t allow you to resort to fisticuffs every time Cutter annoys you. Or me.”  
  
Ryan shrugged. “Shame.” Then he sighed. “Oh, fuck Cutter. Fuck the lot of them.”  
  
“I’d really rather you didn’t.” Lester was really smiling now, and Ryan smiled back, rather suggestively.  
  
“All right, then. How about I just fuck you instead?”  
  
“That would be an acceptable alternative.”  
  
Ryan’s grin widened. “So, are you nearly done here?”  
  
“Just about. Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you by the car. Oh, and Ryan?”  
  
“Yes?” Ryan paused on his way towards the door.  
  
“Promise me you will not use that five minutes to go in search of Professor Cutter.”  
  
 _Busted._ “I just think someone needs to talk to him…”  
  
Lester raised eyebrow signalled his scepticism at the idea that talking was all Ryan was planning to do.  
  
“Fine, fine, I’ll go and polish my weapon or something, like a good little soldier.”  
  
Lester’s eyes rolled at the obvious innuendo. “Thank you. We really can’t have any injured academics on our hands. The paperwork would be murder.”


End file.
